This is what grooming does to you. No raw edges, no slip of tongue, no nervous moments – just a confident conversation which is not business like but doesn’t come anywhere close to being frivolous. Sonakshi Sinha, the latest entrant in Bollywood, pretty much appears familiar with the rules of the game. The grooming that she has received from her parents – Poonam and Shatrughan Sinha – is very much on display in the way she handles a barrage of questions coming her way.

No wonder, she is different from the starry eyed newcomers who make an entry in Bollywood month after month. Casual about the presence of a mighty co-star like Salman and describing her relation with him as a friend rather than a fan, Sonakshi shares with Joginder Tuteja her happiness around the positive start that her career has taken with her debut film already carrying great vibes.

Sonakshi, you were pretty much kept under the wraps for most part of the making of Dabangg. Still, considering the fact that you were working with none less than Salman in your very first film, didn’t you ever feel like ‘Ok, let me make a little more noise about this’?

This was actually a strategic move and something that happens with every debutant. The idea behind staying undercover was to enhance the curiosity factor. There is no point talking for months at stretch when a bigger impact can be created in much lesser time around the release.

The idea behind staying undercover was to enhance the curiosity factor

Well, given the buzz which is pretty much on display today, one can realize the impact for sure. However, the film has taken around a year and a little more to be wrapped up. Didn’t you ever wonder during this duration that when would the film get complete so that you could soon be seen on the big screen?

Rest assured, you would have relished your time with Salman as well, right? After all there have been millions of girls who have been Salman fans since childhood.

But then I never felt like Salman’s fan even once! Yes, I do respect him as an actor and look up to him because there was so much to learn. Still, I have always felt like Salman’s friend because our families are quite close. As a child though I remember growing up with Maine Pyar Kiya. But do you know that it wasn’t because of Salman; it was due to Bhagyashree. I was a special fan of her actually and always remembered her as Suman ‘didi’.

So during your growing up years when you were gearing up for tour Bollywood launch, how did the conversations go at home? Was it a part of everyday family conversation during last few years when your launch pad was being decided?

Not really. We have very normal conversations at home like just another family. We don’t talk about films all the time. In fact my dad is into politics so we talk about that as well. It could be just about everything under the sun.

The makers wanted me to carry a certain look and I have done that quite naturally

However, once you decided to step into cinema, how did you go about preparing for your role? After all for someone who has lived in urban Indian, wasn’t it a cultural shift to get into UP-Bihar zone for Dabangg?

I haven’t lived in UP or Bihar but I am well aware of life there. We have a modest home in Patna where my grandmother used to stay. Right through my life so far, I have visited Patna at least once or twice a year so life there is not alien to me. Also, I have been there multiple times with my father as well, when he had set out to campaign for elections. I am a good observer and the culture there has naturally been imbibed into my behaviour.

Still, when you got into a rural zone for Dabangg for your very first film, didn’t it even bother you that you could get slotted in a certain kind of roles?

Arrey, it’s a character after all. One should not be thinking too much. For Dabangg, the makers wanted me to carry a certain look and I have done that quite naturally. Wait for tomorrow, I could be seen in an altogether different avtar. It’s just a beginning after all.